1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image storing apparatus for reading out image data from a recording medium or an external apparatus and storing it into a high capacity storage unit, a control method for such an apparatus, and a control program for such an apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
In many cases, photo image data formed by photographing an object by a digital camera is temporarily stored into a recording medium such as a compact flash (registered trademark (hereinbelow, omitted)) mounted in the digital camera. Since a capacity of the recording medium is not so large, generally, the photo image data in the recording medium is copied into a hard disk or the like of a PC (personal computer) or is read out of the hard disk and copied into a CD-R or a DVD-R, thereby accumulating/storing the data. That is, in most cases, the recording medium is used only as a temporary recording location of the photo image data.
In recent years, a product called a “photostorage” having a high capacity storage unit such as a hard disk device and a slot of the recording medium has been proposed (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-184324).
Such a type of photostorage has a function of automatically copying files in the recording medium into the hard disk device when the recording medium in which the photo image data has been stored is mounted into the slot, and can accumulate/store a large amount of photo image data without using the PC.
Such a function of the photostorage can be embodied by constructing it as a stand-alone product, by constructing it by PC hardware having the high capacity storage unit and software, or by constructing it by a printer which can perform direct printing, a multifunction (or hybrid) image processing apparatus in which a printing function, a communicating function, and the like are integrated, or the like so long as the high capacity storage unit is provided for such an apparatus.
According to the photostorage as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-184324, when the recording medium is mounted, the following operation is executed.
(1) After all of the files in the recording medium were copied into the built-in hard disk, all of the files in the recording medium are deleted.
Or, according to other photostorages which are commercially available at present, similarly, when the recording medium is mounted, the following operation is executed.
(2) Although all of the files in the recording medium are copied into the built-in hard disk, all of the files in the recording medium are left.
In the above construction (1) in the related art, there is an inconvenience in the case where even after the data in the card was copied into the photostorage, the user wants to leave the data in the card (in the case where the data is copied into the PC and used later, or the like).
In the above construction (2) or (1) in the related art, similarly, there is a possibility that the same image file is written into the photostorage many times in dependence on a using method of the user, there is also such a problem that the storage capacity of the photostorage is restricted more than it is needed or an overlap amount of the same file increases and it is troublesome to rearrange them later.
To avoid such a problem, a managing operation in which the user discriminates a file name or contents and selects files to be copied (or moved) while deciding whether or not the image files are copied (or moved) is necessary. Such a managing operation is not impossible in the construction using the PC and the software. However, in the case of the stand-alone type apparatus, the printer, the multifunction image processing apparatus, or the like, generally, the hardware (display, operation input means) enough to embody such a user interface as to browse the contents of the medium or select the files is not provided. Therefore, it is actually impossible to realize such a managing operation.
Even if such a managing operation can be performed, the operation to copy (or move) the files without overlapping is not so easy but it takes a time and is troublesome for the user. Ideally, there is demanded such a construction that the medium in which the image files have been stored is connected to the slot of the photostorage (or the digital camera or the like is connected to a USB port of the photostorage), and the files can be certainly copied (or moved) without overlapping only by the operation (for example, one specific button is pressed) which can be easily executed even by the user interface of the stand-alone type apparatus, the printer, the multifunction image processing apparatus, or the like without needing any other operation.